Many ophthalmologists from around the world have asked if we offer a fellowship, externship, or clinical rotation so that they … More
Category: beginning surgeons / novice surgeons
Mastering Divide-and-Conquer
Most young ophthalmologists start learning phacoemulsification cataract surgery with the divide-and-conquer technique. This is an easier technique to learn than … More
resident divide-and-conquer case 30
An anonymous resident sent in this video of his/her 30th cataract surgery which was done with the divide-and-conquer technique. The … More
Pars plana anterior vitrectomy
The only ophthalmologists who have zero surgical complications are those who don’t operate and those who are not fully truthful. … More
Review: fixing beginner mistakes
Learning intra-ocular surgery is not easy and it can take years just to be comfortable with just the basics. Look … More
Resident Cataract Surgery Final Exam
Today is June 30 and that is the final day of residency training in the USA since our academic year … More
Analysis of Resident Surgery Steps
This video features side-by-side double camera angles so that we can simultaneously see the microscope view as well as the … More
Resident Case Double Camera Angles
For experienced surgeons (which I define as those who have done at least a few thousand cataract surgeries), the microscope … More
Resident surgeon does case #100
For all of our young surgeons who are learning cataract surgery, this is a great video because it shows you … More
Review: The Angle of Approach for Incisions
The angle of approach of the keratome will determine the tunnel length of our phaco incision. If the angle is … More
Tough cataract case for a resident
We are thankful for the many video submissions we receive from our readers, particularly from residents or registrars who are … More
Newbie Resident Cataract Surgery
Even experienced surgeons can learn by watching novice surgeons operate. A nickname for a novice is a newbie since the … More
Review: Embed the phaco tip without ultrasound
This review is particularly important for ophthalmologists who do cataract surgery for patients with mild to moderate nuclear density. This … More
Posterior capsule rupture – finish the case
This resident case is a challenge: the posterior capsule is ruptured but there is still cortex to be removed. Can … More
Benchmark: Senior Resident Chop
This is a good benchmark for what a senior resident should be able to achieve by the end of residency … More
Resident Surgeon Stop-and-Chop
This is an anonymously submitted video of a resident performing cataract surgery number 60 and the technique is stop-and-chop. This … More
Secret to Chopping Dense Cataracts
For the phaco chop technique, the nucleus is held stationary by the vacuum level of the phaco probe. This is … More
How to recover from a capsule rupture
It happens to all surgeons, and it is much more common in beginning surgeons: rupture of the posterior capsule during … More
Capsulorhexis Pivoting
The key to making a great capsulorhexis is understanding the pivoting technique. This allows us to float within the incision … More
How to Rescue this Capsulorhexis
We have previously discussed the Little Maneuver which is a method of saving a run away capsulorhexis. In this case, … More
You must learn this before finishing residency
The challenge of residency training is that you have just a limited time to learn surgery. You can read books … More
Refining your Surgical Signature
It is so important for surgeons to take pride in their work. You must do a great job, or don’t … More
Epi-Nucleus Flip Technique
With a thick epi-nuclear shell, it is easier to remove it with the phaco probe as compared to the I/A … More
Cataract Quiz: The chop failed. Now what?
Even for expert cataract surgeons, sometimes the attempt at phaco chop fails. This can be due to many reasons and … More
Resident Cataract Case #165 Evaluation
This video is submitted anonymously by a resident ophthalmologist who has completed 164 cataract surgeries so far. This case, his … More
Review: External View of Cataract Surgery Steps
Two of the most critical steps in cataract surgery are the main phaco incision and the capsulorhexis. Properly completing these … More
Review: Side View of Hand Position
While we do hold the phaco probe with a pencil grip, we do not use the same angle as writing with … More
Trouble learning phaco chop? Try this first
One of the main reasons why phaco chop is more difficult to learn than divide-and-conquer is that there is a … More
Checking the IOP at the end of surgery
We want to ensure an appropriate intra-ocular pressure (IOP) at the end of surgery. This puts the eye in a … More
Struggling with Phaco Chop? Let me help you
I will be the first to tell you that mastering phaco chop is not easy, but it is certainly worth … More
Phaco Incision Do-Over
In this case, the resident begins by making a phaco incision that is not good. The roof is too thin … More
Recovering from a radialized capsulorhexis
Learning to perform a consistent capsulorhexis is one of the toughest steps of cataract surgery. The anterior capsule is only … More
List of Key Videos for Residents
A young doctor in training asked me to put together a list of key videos prior to her first day … More
Resident Surgeon Learning to do Phaco Chop
In your quest to learn phaco chop, it is helpful to watch other beginning surgeons perform the same technique. In … More
Re-draping the eye makes surgery more efficient
When we place the drapes on the eye and eyelids, it serves to give us better exposure of the surgical … More
It takes new surgeons years to figure this out
This is such a great lesson, that I’m going to limit the text here. Watch the video and learn something … More
Cataract Surgery Lessons from Kyoto
I recently went to Kyoto, Japan for ophthalmology business development projects and I also had a chance to visit a … More
Review: External View of Phaco Chop
Most of the videos on this site are taken through the operating microscope. This gives the view of exactly what … More
Learning Vertical Chop
Vertical chop means that both the phaco probe and the chopper are placed within the capsulorhexis and then both are … More
Making a Scleral Tunnel Phaco Incision
For 99% of my patients, making a corneo-limbal phaco incision is ideal. However, there are cases such as this patient … More
Draping the Eye for Cataract Surgery
Draping the eye is important for cataract surgery. It helps us to create a sterile field and it isolates the … More
Mastering Divide-and-Conquer Phaco
Back by popular demand! Most beginning surgeons start by learning divide-and-conquer as the primary method of nucleus division for cataract … More
Do you really want to learn surgery?
This is one of the most important videos that I have ever made. If you only watch one of my … More
I am thankful for…
Today is Thanksgiving in the USA, which is a holiday in the USA when we give thanks to the people … More
Left-Handed Phaco: What is different?
In this video we review the differences between right-handed phaco and left-handed phaco. As expected, the instruments are held differently, … More
Review: Choosing Phaco Machine Settings
Surgeons often ask about which phaco settings are best. The answer is that it depends on the surgeon, the machine, … More
Watch out for the tubing lines!
This is a simple, but important, lesson: keep the tubing lines and the phaco power cord away from your surgical … More
Review: Learn Horizontal Phaco Chop
The original phaco chop technique described by Dr. Nagahara in 1995 was the horizontal chop. This involves holding the lens … More
Evaluation of a resident chop technique
This video was submitted by a resident in Asia who is still learning phaco and has upgraded to using the … More
Does Capsulorhexis direction matter?
Does it matter which way you perform the capsulorhexis? Clockwise or counterclockwise, which is better? What about for right handed … More